UCLA’s Xavier Su’a-Filo returns home to Utah

When Xavier Su’a-Filo was serving his two-year mission in the American South, he got a pleasant surprise: Utah was joining the same conference as UCLA.

The formation of the Pac-12 meant that the offensive lineman would have a chance to play in his home state. A star commit in the Bruins’ 2009 class, Su’a-Filo decided to come to Los Angeles over both Utah and hometown team BYU.

When the Bruins (3-0) visit Utah this Thursday, he’ll return to Rice-Eccles Stadium for first time since winning a state 4A championship nearly five years ago.

It’s a place of fond memories. In Timpview High’s 34-28 win over Cottonwood, Su’a-Filo blocked a punt to set up a game-tying touchdown. His Thunderbirds notched their third consecutive title, as well as a state-record 36th straight victory.

“It’ll be a special one for me going back home, having a lot of people who love and support me watching,” he said.

His recollections of UCLA then were a little less thrilling. As a senior, he watched as BYU — located just two miles south of his high school — crush the Bruins, 59-0. And yet, he chose blue and gold.

“You can imagine, I caught a lot of flack for it,” he said.

At that point, Utah had just completed an undefeated season, capping a streak of five straight bowl wins with a Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama. The Cougars were stuck in perennial Las Vegas Bowls, but the Bruins only had one bowl victory in six years. He still can’t fully explain his decision.

“I feel like the morning of signing day, UCLA felt like the right place for me,” Su’a-Filo said. “I couldn’t exactly explain to you why I felt that way. Even when my freshman year came, I was still a little curious why. I just felt like it was the right thing to do.

“When I came back from my mission, I also felt again that it was the right thing to do.”

WATCHING WILSON

Quarterback Travis Wilson has turned into a promising leader for the Utes. Helped by new co-offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson, he has expanded his big-play prowess both through the air and on the ground.

Wilson currently sits atop the Pac-12 with 9.7 yards per pass attempt. When he’s pressed, the 6-foot-7 sophomore can roll out and pick up yards. He’s the third-ranked rushing quarterback in the conference with 62.75 yards per game.

Advertisement

“He’s just a little bit more deceptive because he’s so tall,” UCLA linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “His stride is so long. It doesn’t necessarily look like he’s maybe moving as fast.

“But you look at the grass and you look at the yards, he’s covering grass. He’s outrunning people.

Wilson also played with UCLA receiver Nick Pasquale at San Clemente High, and attended his funeral service earlier this month. Pasquale died on Sept. 8 when a car struck him in residential San Clemente.

TOUGH FRONT

UCLA’s visit to Salt Lake City this weekend will be its first meeting with a top-100 defense. Even without All-American tackle Star Lotulelei, the Utes boast a defensive line that is physical and well-coached.

“Maybe they don’t have the marquee name guy like they did last year,” Bruins offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said, “but I think the defensive line for them is probably the best front four we’ve gone against.”

The Utes (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) have held teams to 3.01 yards per carry this season, best in the Pac-12 and 15th in the country. Their performance against the pass, however, has been almost a mirror image: 288.3 yards per game, 11th in the conference and 113th nationally.